The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-05-21
WHITE FURNITURE.
How Bright Woman Created a Unique
and Beautiful Apartment

houses in somber colors with dark ma
hogny and early English furniture of
black oak, which appeared worm-eaten,
if itreally was not, when, 10! the dealers
INACCURATE perfect craze in white fur
niture, light-colored upholstered goods,
and from the dignified and aristocratic
English or colonial STYLES we become
imbued with the period of Louis Quinze
However, the dark rich furniture is too
beautiful to give up without a struggle,
and fashion now dictates that those who
can afford it shall have each room in
their residence furnished to represent
not only distinct period, but a certain
country as well. Thus we have English
rooms, French rooms, coloniaE Egyp-
tian and Japanese apartments, accord
ing to the purse or fancy. The first
''white room" built in New York
of any prominence is the music
room in the Willard mansion,
now owned and occupied by Mr..
Whtelaw Reid. The floor is highly
polished in light colored woods, and
thesntire apartment is of ivory white,
picled out with gold, and in the panels
of he walls medalliOns of lutes,
ribbns and scrolls of music. A hand
soms,syHite ROOM has the floor of
polished wood, with here and there a
white Astrkhan rug; the furniture is
of white, pi&ed out with gold, up
holstered in White satin brocade; the
curtains and other draperies are of
white plush embroidered with gold; the
picture framesare white and gold, a
white easel stards in one corner and
white and gold iano. 1t makes most
beautiful apartment. Not long ago the
writer described this room to a clever
young wife who lives in an adjacent
town. She has comparatively little
money, but excellent taste; recently she
invited me to see her "wlite room,"
which she surprised me by stating was
all the result of her own ingenuity
and cost but little The wood floor
had been stained and polished to
look like cherry, and several white fox
rugs, which cost about So. so, were laid
here and there. She had bought sew
eral of the tripod-legged tables with
pine tops. The legs she painted white
with gilt lines, using the liquid gliding.
The tops were covered with white plush,
and another with white felt, with yellow
satin bows at the corners and gold
fringe. She also made mantel scarf
of white plush, trimmed with yellow
bows. An old-fashioned high-backed
kitchen chair she painted white and
made for it a yellow plush cushion.
One of the ordinary Shaker rocking
chairs was also painted white and gold,
and over the red and black braided seat
she had tackled white felt, with some
yellow flowers embroidered upon it.
while the back was decorated with a
yellow Chinese silk scarf Plants grew
in common tlower-pots, painted white;
an easel was made of pine, painted
white, while over the mantel was an
old-fashioned oval mirror, such as were
used fifteen years ago. Between the
windows she had hung the mirror
lengthwise and painted its common
black walnut frame white, looping a
white silk scarf, with gold figures,
around it. A milking stool, also painted
white, with bunch of yellow flowers
painted upon the seat, stood in
q corner; at the windows were
white China silk curtains, tied back
with yellow bows. These curtains,
being of the same material as
silk handkerchiefs, of course wash as
well Old disused walnut picture frames
were also painted and gilded to match
the other articles. And beautiful wall
bracket was made of square of pine
board, to which was nailed three little
shelves put on irregularly like three
steps. This also was painted white,
gildcd on the edges of the shelves and
hung up by screw eyes, which were con-
cealed by yellow bows-a pretty yellow
A Leeds vase was one of the ornaments,
white candlestick which held a yellow
twisted candle, q choice bit of Royal
Worcester, which were among the pos
sessions, and, of course, other orna-
ments about the apartment. A bird
sang in brass cage, harmonizing with
the decorations. The effect was like
fairyland, and in spite of this fact the
pretty owner of all informed us that
this charming result was reached at 4
cost not exceeding twenty-five dollars
1t would be difficult to say which was
the more beautiful, the "white room, y
with its gorgeousness and white piano
which apartment cost in the neighbor'
hood of $4,000, or that of the pretty
Young housewife who, with little money
but much taste and industry, had crea
ted an apartment unique, beautiful and
better than all, showing her own indi
viduality.-N Y. Mail and EGpreSS.
The Diameter of Circle.
uo,